CMMS & Borland Manor Collaboration Day
Advanced 8th grade English students collaborated with 3rd graders from Borland Manor for a special lesson related to the global water crisis. Prior to the collaboration day, the 8th graders read A Long Walk to Water which focuses on the water crisis in Sudan, while 3rd graders read The Water Princess, which tells the story of a young girl who has to walk miles each day to get water for her family. Students in Mrs. Tookey’s, Mrs. Porter’s, and Mrs. Russell’s classes prepared and practiced several mini-lessons focused on water-related topics. They led the 3rd graders through various stations like a water filtration experiment and a collaborative art collage, just to name a few. It was a great opportunity for the 8th graders to lead by example, interact with younger students, and share their knowledge about this topic.
Stem Design Challenge
7th and 8th grade students Izzy, Kiara, Reese, and Sarah participated in the STEM Design challenge held at PennWest California. They spent six weeks coming up with a plan to help stop pollution in our oceans. They designed and built a prototype made of K’NEX. On competition day, the group of CMMS students presented their plan to a panel of judges.
7th and 8th grade students from Miss Famularo and Mrs. Silverblatt’s science class attended WQED Challenge Day “Design Lives Here”. Students spent eight weeks coming up with a prototype that would help make someone’s life better. After eight weeks, students headed to WQED studios to participate in a day of STEM activities. Students had to build a boat that would travel using rubber band power, a tent that would survive strong finds, and a zipline. It was a great experience and we took home some prizes. Colin, Liam, and Domenic all placed in the top 3.
On Friday, May 5th, 2023 Mr. Schugg’s classroom went to Canon McMillan High School for a “Zoo in the Classroom” experience! Mrs. Geist, an AP Environmental Science, Environmental Science and Zoology teacher, and her junior and senior students welcomed Mr. Schugg’s class. "Zoo in the Classroom” is a program that she developed where her high school students teach younger students from different schools in the district about the animals in her classroom.
The students were able to interact with many different animals, including bearded dragons, the Central American wood turtle, yellow-bellied sliders, red-eared sliders, fire-bellied frogs, Mississippi map turtle, loggerhead musk turtle, Mississippi mud turtles, corn snake, Asian painted frogs, albino pacman frog, millipedes, Dubia roaches, African sideneck, striped knee tarantula, Russian tortoises, red-foot tortoise, leopard geckos, crested geckos, Serama chickens, zebra finches, and a parakeet. The students and staff had a great time with this experience and hope to have further hands-on experiences in the future!
On May 23rd the related arts team hosted a Fine Arts night. The 7th and 8th grade art exhibit was displayed in the main hallway, cookies and pretzel bites were prepared by the FACS classes, and the chorus sang to the crowd. The middle school and high school jazz bands and steel drum bands performed in the auditorium. It was a fantastic night to celebrate the arts!
8th-grade Hurricane students read the story A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park in English class. This book tells the story of a refugee named Salva Dut during the Second Sudanese Civil War. It also follows a girl named Nya who must travel daily to get water for her family.
Prior to reading this book, the students completed a lab on different types of water scarcity. This allowed them to have a greater understanding of how a lack of water and resources can affect different parts of the world. They also simulated carrying a jerry can (the container many girls use to transport water long distances) - which on average weighs 40 pounds.
Additionally, students were a part of a live Google Meet with a Ukrainian refugee where they were able to learn from her experiences and ask her questions.
8th-grade team Supernova learned that the judicial system is a critical component of the branches of government. Students understand the main purpose is to enforce and interpret the laws.
Students were assigned a villain from a Disney movie and had to determine if they violated the law. As a group they had to watch a specific scene from the movie then from a discussion if their villain violated the law. Students then formed a case by identifying if their villain’s trial would head to civil or criminal court. Students then created a poster and presented the ruling and opinion of the court case to the class.
The Knights are wrapping up the year working on many intriguing projects! English, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies are all honing their research skills with a variety of creative activities that include investigations into the middle ages, endangered species and land biomes. In Core Math, the Knights students are combining their knowledge of measurement, area and scale to create an original mini golf course! Additionally, Knights have generously donated to help protect endangered species through the "adoption" of three animals at the Pittsburgh Zoo. Way to go, Knights!
Canon-McMillan Middle School
Email: CMMS@cmsd.k12.pa.us
Website: https://www.cmsd.k12.pa.us/2/home
Location: 100 Big Mac Boulevard, Canonsburg, PA 15317
Phone: (724) 745-9030
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CanonsburgMiddleSchool/
Twitter: @CanonMacMS